Project Designed by BMR Design Group of Milwaukee
att Construction is
Front view of the community room.
pleased to announce
the completion a new
community room for Sacred
Heart Church in Racine,
Wisconsin. The Catholic church
project, designed by BMR
Design Group of Milwaukee,
consisted of a 7,000-square-foot
addition that includes a kitchen
and restrooms. Built adjacent
to the original church entrance,
the addition was designed with
architectural features and matching brick that blend seamlessly with the original construction,
which was completed in 1968.
Another major component of the project
was the extensive site work, including new
underground gas, sewer and water utilities.
An existing circular drive was modified
and exterior lighting installed, along with a
new plaza replacing sidewalk and planting
areas directly in front of the church’s main
entrance.
We are delighted to have had the
opportunity to work with BMR Design and
Sacred Heart Church officials, including
A look inside the community room.
Father Crewe, business manager Al Pfeiffer
and facilities manager Larry Hobbs,
during the construction process. Our site
superintendent, Bill Pagelsdorf, notes it
was particularly challenging coordinating
the construction process around daily
and weekend masses, funerals and other
church activities. In addition, there is a
school associated with the church on site,
and coordination of material deliveries and
student drop-offs was essential to maintain a
safe environment.
Hallway view.

K

1434 West Street

Racine, Wisconsin 53404

tel

262-637-5288

fax

262-637-7911

www.kattconstruction.com

Sharpen Your Professional Image

Which U.S. state capital receives the most
snowfall annually?

A Little Knowledge
Is A Good Thing

1) On average, which U.S. state capital
receives the most snowfall annually?
a) Juneau, Alaska
b) Bismarck, N.D.
c) Montpelier, Vt.
d) Denver, Colo.
2) Which planet in our solar system is
distinctly red in color?
a) Neptune
b) Mars
c) Jupiter
d) Venus
3) Robert Downey, Jr. was nominated
for a Best Actor Oscar for his 1992
portrayal of which comedian?
a) Buster Keaton
b) Charlie Chaplin
c) Harold Lloyd
d) W.C. Fields
4) Which of these is not the name of a
WNBA team?
a) Connecticut Sun
b) Kansas City Shine
c) Chicago Sky
d) San Antonio Silver Stars
5) Three of the past four people to hold
the office of U.S. Secretary of State
have shared which trait?
a) women
b) black
c) Jewish
d) none of the above
Answers: 1) c (Montpelier averages nearly 98 inches of snow
annually.) 2) b 3) b 4) b 5) a (Hillary Clinton, Condoleezza
Rice and Madeline Albright.)

No matter what your job title is, you have to earn the respect of your colleagues,
supervisors, and employees if you want to succeed at work. Here are some guidelines for
ensuring that people take you seriously:
• Fine-tune your appearance. Pay attention to how others in your organization
dress, especially upper-level executives, and model your style after that. Keep your
hair neatly trimmed. Resist the temptation to dress too casually, even on “casual
Friday.”
• Take notes. In meetings and when
talking to managers, make a point of
writing down the important points.
This will help you remember what’s
said, of course, but more important,
you’ll show you’re paying attention
and taking the other person seriously.
• Speak authoritatively. Eliminate
“uh” and “um” from your
vocabulary. Don’t try to come across
as an obnoxious know-it-all, but
concentrate on speaking clearly. Good
communication builds credibility.
• Control your emotions.
Nobody wants to work alongside
someone who’s always angry.
Even extreme cheerfulness can be
counterproductive—colleagues may
think you’re not taking situations
seriously. You don’t have to suppress
your emotions entirely, but don’t let
them take center stage all the time.
• Stay organized. A neat workspace
In meetings and when talking to managers,
shows that you’re efficient and detailmake a point of writing down the important
oriented. Clean it regularly, discarding points.
what you don’t need and putting
important items in the proper place so you can retrieve them quickly.
• Be patient. Time is a limited resource, but don’t obsess over speed. Impatience
strikes many people as evidence of immaturity, so temper your urgency with
understanding.

Three Skills For Better Negotiation

Negotiating is a make-or-break skill, whether you’re a CEO in charge of a merger or
a parent trying to sort out a sibling squabble. Follow these tips to negotiate agreements
productively and without stress:
1. Keep an open mind. Brainstorm ideas. Listen to outlandish proposals. Entertain
unusual possibilities. This will expand opportunities for agreement.
2. Treat people fairly. When people feel you’re being fair with them, they’re more
likely to make real commitments. If they think you’re trying to cheat them, they’ll
walk away in a huff. You won’t get commitment unless the other party feels you’re
sincerely trying to do what’s right.
3. Listen actively. Don’t plan what you’re going to say while the other side is talking.
Pay attention to what they’re saying so you know where they’re coming from and
what they really want. When your response makes it clear that you’ve really been
listening, they’ll be more willing to listen to your proposals.

Summer 2011

Learn New Skills

The cliché is wrong: You can teach
an old dog new tricks, if the “old dog” is
willing to make an effort. Whether you’re
trying to improve your tennis game or
learn piano, keep these tips in mind to get
the most out of your training:
• Find the right teacher. Make sure you
find a teacher who can help you at your
present level and who can commit the
time and energy to teach you more.
• Answer the teacher’s questions
completely and truthfully. To assess
your strengths and weaknesses, teachers
often ask for background information.
Don’t exaggerate your experience
or expertise. Honest answers will
help your teacher offer personalized
instruction.
• Share your goals. Let your instructor
know exactly what you want to get out
of your studies. You both need to be on
the same page.
• Go deep. Don’t settle for learning
superficial skills. To make your efforts
worthwhile, commit to learning as
much as you can about the area you’re
studying. For example, almost every
field has its own vocabulary. If you
don’t understand a particular term, ask.
• Expect success. Although
improvement lies largely in your hands,
you should be able to tell whether or
not the teacher is doing all she can to
help you improve. If it’s not happening,
talk it over with your teacher and be
ready to move on to another instructor
if necessary.

SPEED BUMP

Dave Coverly

Will The Wristwatch Join The Buggy Whip?
Quick, what time is it? If you looked at your wrist, you’re still part of the majority
of people who rely on their watches
to stay on schedule, but that may
change. In a British survey of 1,500+
people, 14%—about one in seven
people—said they don’t need a
wristwatch. The market analysis firm
Mintel, which conducted the survey,
forecasts that the percentage will rise
along with the increase in mobilephone ownership and other gadgets
like the latest iPod Nano, which
comes with a wrist strap and sports a
watch face.
Although wristwatches probably
aren’t likely to vanish anytime soon, they could become redundant, as people rely more
and more on other devices, like smart phones, that include a time-keeping function.
After all, one expert notes, the point of a Rolex isn’t to tell time, but to show off.

What To Do When You’re To Blame

Everybody makes mistakes. The difference between good managers and bad
managers is that good managers address the mistake, whereas bad managers try to
cover up the error or pin the blame on someone else.
As a manager, you must learn to apologize—whether it’s to an employee, a customer
or your boss. Remember these tactics:
• Be as specific as possible. Vague regrets and empty clichés are usually worse than
no apology at all. Accept responsibility for your actions, and don’t use the apology as
a chance to make excuses.
• Explain how you are correcting the problem. Taking the necessary steps toward
fixing the problem will defuse the other person’s anger and give your apology added
credibility. Otherwise it’s an empty gesture—and people will see it for what it is.
• Return to “neutral ground” as soon as you can. Once you’ve apologized and
corrected the problem, move on. There’s no need to beat a dead horse. You need to
reestablish rapport and trust, and that can’t happen if you constantly remind the
other person of what you did wrong.

“Don’t bother to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors.
Try to be better than yourself.”

—William Faulkner

Use The “24-Hour Rule” To Stay Focused

Renowned pro football coach Don Shula’s successful career was based, in part, on
a policy of looking forward to the next challenge instead of dwelling on his previous
victories or failures. Shula’s “24-hour rule” exemplified that.
The coach allowed himself, his fellow coaches, and his players 24 hours at the
maximum to celebrate a victory—or agonize over a defeat. Shula encouraged them to
feel the emotions of success or failure as deeply as they could.
After 24 hours, though, the team was expected to stop talking and thinking about
the experience and focus their concentration on preparing for the next game.
The lesson? Keep your failures and victories in perspective, and you’ll do better over
the long run.

Building Strong Partnerships

We’re Growing!
Paul Valen Joins Katt Construction

A Note To Our Readers…

Paul Valen has joined Katt
Construction as an estimator/project
manager. In
the short time
he as been
with us, Paul
has already
proven to
be a great
asset. His
construction
background
includes time
as both a
field superintendent
Paul Valen
and project
manager, and he has extensive experience
in the construction of commercial and
industrial buildings.
Paul earned a B.S. in Construction
Management from the University of
Nevada-Las Vegas and has been responsible
for several award-winning projects.

We hope that you have been enjoying our newsletter since we started publishing
it in 2008. Hopefully, you find it to be the right combination of humor and
information, as that’s our intent. As a valued part of the Katt Construction
Corporation family, we welcome any suggestions that you have that may improve
our newsletter.
Also, we hope that our newsletters are getting to the right people. If the name
on the mailing label is incorrect, or there are additional people in your office who
would like to receive The Katt Chronicle, please let us know by contacting us by
phone at (262) 637-5288 or via e-mail at hkatt@kattconstruction.com. We hope that
you continue to enjoy The Katt Chronicle as much as we enjoy providing it to you!

Our Clients Say It Best…

“It was obvious to me from working with Herb, Jim and the entire crew that
they take great pride in their work and that their number one goal was to see
that I was happy with the outcome of the project. In that effort, they definitely
succeeded.”

—Dave White
River Bend Nature Center

“We now have a beautiful landmark building in the center of historic Main
Street…It gives us great pleasure to stand across the street and look at what you
have given us.”